Oddsfish! eBook

“They bore themselves like gallant gentlemen,
Sir. They fought every point, so far as the Chief
Justice would permit them.”

“Did they shew any fear when the verdict was
brought in?”

“None, Sir. They relied upon your Majesty’s
protection, no doubt.”

Again His Majesty was silent. I still stood on
the other side of the table from him, waiting to say
what I had to say. The King shewed no sign of
having heard what I had last said.

Then, to my astonishment he turned on me again very
sharply.

“Mr. Mallock,” he said, “I have
a fault to find with you. Mr. Chiffinch tells
me that you were followed from the Court, and that
a fellow was asking after you at the gate. You
say that you wish to serve me. Well, those who
serve me must be very discreet and very shrewd.
Plainly, you have not been so in this instance.
You are a very young man; and I do not wish to be
severe. But you must remember, Mr. Mallock, that
such a thing as this must not happen any more.”

My mouth was gone suddenly dry at this attack of His
Majesty upon me. I licked my lips with my tongue
in readiness to answer; but before I could speak,
the King went on again.

“Now I had a little business to entrust to you;
but I am not sure if it be not best to give it to
another hand.”

He took up from the table before him a newly sealed
little packet that I had not noticed before; and sat
weighing it in his hand, as if considering, while
his eyes searched my face.

“Sir—­” I began.

“Yes, Mr. Mallock, I know what you would say.
That is all very well; but my servants must not make
mistakes such as you have made. It was the height
of madness for you to go to the Court at all to-day.
I have no doubt that you were seen there, and followed;
and you could have been of no service to your friends
there, in any case. Mr. Chiffinch tells me he
will provide a wherry for you immediately, that you
may go back without observation. You must do
this. The question before my mind is as to whether
you shall take this packet with you, or not. What
do you say, Mr. Mallock?”

All the while he had been speaking, I had been in
a torment of misery. As yet I had done little
or nothing for His Majesty, after all my commissioning
from Rome; and now that the first piece of work was
on hand, it was doubtful whether I had not forfeited
it by my clumsiness. For the moment I forgot
what I had come for. I was all set on acquitting
myself well. I was but twenty-one years old!

“Sir,” I cried, “if your Majesty
will entrust that to me, you shall never repent it.”

He smiled; but his face went back again to its heaviness.
“It is a very difficult commission,” he
said. “And, what is of more importance than
all else is that the packet should fall into no hand
other than the one that should have it. For this
reason, there is no name written upon it. But
I have sealed it with a private signet of my own, both
within and without; and you must bear the packet with
you until you can deliver it.”